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MA-Senate Special: Who's In, Who's Out?

The Fix family is now moved into our new digs, which allows us to pay a bit more attention to the political world. (We won't be back at it full time until next Tuesday, however.)

In the wake of Sen. Ted Kennedy's death last week, candidates have begun jockeying for the right to replace him in a special election that will be held on Jan. 19. (The special primaries will be on Dec. 8, and, in a state as Democratic as Massachusetts, the winner of the Democratic primary will have a major leg up to be the next Senator.)

Here's a quick look at who's in, who's out and who's on the fence about running for the Democratic nod:

Michael Capuano: If there is no one named Kennedy in the special election field, then the Somerville Congressman is an almost certain candidate.

Joe Kennedy II: The former Congressman and nephew of the late Senator is the 800-pound gorilla in the race. If he runs, it's likely that Markey, Capuano and others take a pass. If he decides not to get in, this race turns into a free for all. Kennedy would likely be the favorite if he ran but his very public divorce and his controversial dealings with Venezuela would likely be an issue for any challenger.

Stephen Lynch: The Congressman from Southie (aka South Boston) is likely in no matter what Kennedy or anyone else does. He has a geographic base in the blue-collar heart of Beantown and is the preferred candidate of organized labor. The more divided the primary field, the better chance Lynch has at winning.

Ed Markey: Markey is at a crossroads. He has significant seniority in the House and is chairman of a select committee on energy and environmental policy. But, he also has long coveted a Senate seat and this is likely his best chance at it. If Joe Kennedy runs, Markey probably stays put.

"Mr Obama," wrote Peggy Noonan in The Wall Street Journal, "has grown boring." Amazing, but true. He's a crashing bore, and he's become one in nothing flat. His approval ratings have slumped – not just among Republicans, not just among independents, not just among seniors, who are after all first in line for the death panels. But they've fallen among young people – the starry-eyed members of the Hopeychangey Generation who stared into the mesmerizing giant "O" of his logo and saw the new Otopia. According to the latest Zogby poll, Obama's hold on the young is a wash: 41 per cent approve, 41 per cent disapprove. Zogby defines "young" as under 30, so maybe the kindergartners corralled into his audience this week will still be on side, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Obama's given 111 speeches, interviews and press conferences in which he's talked about health care, and the more he opens his mouth the more the American people recoil from his "reforms." Now he's giving a 112th – to a joint session of Congress – and this one, we're assured, will finally do the trick

Imagine it's September 2013 and President Palin is preparing to present her massive tax cut proposal to a joint session of congress. She's momentarily distracted by an MSNBC report that her Second Amendment czar, Sig Sauer, has a peculiar history: He was once (and perhaps still is) a Bircher who argued for the repeal of the 14th Amendment. He's also appeared on numerous radio and TV shows calling for the oppressive United States government to be transformed into a monarchy. Shortly before his appointment he was captured on YouTube calling Democrats "a**holes." Another YouTube video shows him ranting about "black gun-control advocates" who confiscate guns from law-abiding white communities. Back in 2009 he signed a petition published in the New York Post calling for the impeachment of Barack Obama on the grounds that he wasn't born in the United States. Sauer has even been arrested twice for participating in riots outside the U.N. and G-8 Summit.

Imagine that during a press briefing, a reporter asks White House press secretary Chuck Krauthammer how a radical right-wing racialist with an arrest record like Sauer could've possibly been appointed to a prominent White House position. Didn't President Palin know? Chuck dismisses the query, saying it's old news since Sauer has issued an apology contending that none of the forgoing actions reflect his actual views.

Imagine that the members of the press corps nod their heads collectively and move on to the more relevant issue of what President Palin will be wearing to the joint session.

I don't think most people would care much about my Hussain Youth speech if I did not take every single opportunity to bash america and inculcate a sense of injustice in capitalism, exceptionalism and mistrust in the American way.

In fact, I have inserted, in every 50th frame, an image of me dressed as Jesus which will serve to bring in the gun toting rubes to the fold.

since it doesn't look like I am going to be around in five years, the only way to maintain Dem voters is to shrink the tax base, destroy public education, brainwash the pre-voters and skew the census. We can't have any thinking people making our decisions for us.

I also want to plainly state that I have created or saved over 50 top Czar jobs for my otherwise unemployable friends. also the first lady has created or saved 20 staff jobs, a new record.

JakeD, I have not seen your hypothetical. The potential for abuse resides in the possibility of coercion. Opt out by a district or by parents should be accommodated. DOEd cannot condition funding on the district's acceptance. That would be my general take.

The technology of the time prevented every schoochildren [SIC] from viewing Bush41. Remember that CNN had just been invented. Did you read my hypothetical (below) and see the potential for abuse at least?

President George H.W. Bush gave an address to schools nationwide in 1991, from a junior high school in Washington, D.C. News reports from the time said the White House hoped that the address would be shown at schools nationwide …

You may have guessed this already, but news reports from the time indicate that Democrats criticized Bush for giving the speech.

“The Department of Education should not be producing paid political advertising for the president, it should be helping us to produce smarter students,” said Rep. Richard Gephardt, then the Democratic majority leader in the House of Representatives.”And the president should be doing more about education than saying, ‘Lights, camera, action.’”
--------------------------------------------------------------
I saw no prob with Bush 41's pep talk and thought Gephardt was over the top, at the time. I think the critics of this coming pep talk are, for want of an appropriate metaphor, under the bottom. If they had said only that tax money should not be spent on PSAs
starring the Prez the criticism would have been understandable, if seemingly petty [my view of Gephardt's criticism in '91[?]]. However, this current furor appears to me to be beyond rational boundaries of political discourse.

Fairlington commented on this one and said it's suspicious and after a little reflection I have to agree. But no doubt support for the GOP is very low .. 3% is too low though. The Latino Kook Vote alone is probably bigger than 3%.

Roommate of a friend of mine is a vehemently partisan gay Republican, pics of McCain and Palin on the fridge, even a physically nauseating little pic of Bush and Laura that one would think were his own mom and dad if one didn't know who they were. Ugh. Worship the people who would grind you up for fertilizer.

For all the talk of Republicans losing Hispanics in this election, the dropoff was nothing compared to the loss of people with college degrees. That's easily the biggest loss they faced.

Posted by: DDAWD | September 4, 2009 4:34 PM
__________
Totally cosign, DD. The MSM has been obsessed with teabaggers, birthers, secessionists, Town Hall thugs, and Glenn Beck racial slurs and cite the antics of this lunatic fringe of "evidence" of "unrest."

But the serious analysts all say the Southern Strategy--which the GOP has decided to double-down on--is a long term loser given the changing demographics. For instance, only 3 percent of Hispanics support the GOP. As you say, it's worse among college degreed folks. Ginning up "the Base" (great euphemism for the Yahoos at the hate rallies) isn't going to offset that. And these polls the MSM cites are idiotic--a recent one they were pushing showed 40 percent of blacks support George Allen. The endless series Rasmussen "polls" (does this guy have any credibility left?) that seem calculated, not to measure public opinion, but to shape it--to jumpstart weekly false anti-BHO narratives about waning support for 44. Oy.

Jason Bourne is in.
Just saw "The Bourne Ultimatum." It is totally and completely out of control. Bourne is, as usual, indestructible. Four stars. Unreal. Well worth the $4.95 to order it through cable on demand.

"Pursuit of Happyness" is out. (Don't ask why they misspelled happiness, who knows?) Saw it on cable. It is the most depressing movie I have ever seen. No stars. Virtually unwatchable from the first reel. The scene where Will Smith doesn't have the money for the cab and jumps out of the car--and then loses some gizmo he'd been selling to make a living when he flees into a subway to escape the angry cabbie he stiffed--makes you cringe.

"Yesterday, Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), who serves as chairman of the House Republican Conference, held a town hall-style meeting at Madison Park Church of God in Anderson, IN. During the event, an elderly woman stood to ask Pence a question, and in the midst of doing so, told the congressman that President Obama wants members of Congress to be treated as “a superior race.” “And we know who came up with the terminology of a superior race,” she continued, “it sounds a lot like Hilter.” Many in the crowd applauded. Rather than reject the questioner’s false assertion, Pence simply said, “Thank you."

Pence is one of the bigger rightwing scumbags in Congress, but that's always a tough call to make.

'In April, Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) drew headlines when he warned that his state might secede from the United States “if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people.” Perry’s invocation of secession has since been endorsed by Fox News’ Glenn Beck and former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX).

More recently, radical “tenthers” in Texas, who were heartened by Perry’s comments, held a rally in the state capitol advocating for Texas to secede. On Rush Limbaugh’s radio show today, his fill-in host, Walter E. Williams, pushed the idea to Limbaugh’s millions of listeners:

WILLIAMS: Look, Mark, I don’t know what we’re going to do. That is, one of the questions, one of the issues is that we may be like other great nations of the past. Other great nations like Rome and Great Britain and go down the tube. Now, there’s a group of people. There’s kind of a wild hope or a remote possibility. There’s a group of young people. They call themselves freestateproject.org. And these young people are trying to get 20,000 Americans to move to the state of New Hampshire and peacefully take over the political system, you know, through voting and things like that and elect their own congressmen and senators. And then having done so, they wish, they want to negotiate with the United States Congress to obey the United States Constitution. Now, some members of the group, not all of them, some members of the group say that if they can’t get Congress to obey the United States Constitution, they’re going to issue a unilateral declaration of independence, become a separate nation. Now, I don’t know whether that’s going to work. The last time it didn’t work, but the first time in 1776, it did work. And so, I think we’re batting 500 and I’d like to see whether we could break the tie. Whether we could have a sovereign nation."

If only all the red states would secede! What a fabulous day that would be.

"They've already alienated everyone with an education. What started as part of the southern strategy, stirring up resentment against fictitious condescending eastern "elitists," went, predictably, too far and ended up alienating anyone with a high school diploma."

For all the talk of Republicans losing Hispanics in this election, the dropoff was nothing compared to the loss of people with college degrees. That's easily the biggest loss they faced.

But I can see why Republicans are so against this. Every person that receives an education will be one less person that votes Republican.

==

They've already alienated everyone with an education. What started as part of the southern strategy, stirring up resentment against fictitious condescending eastern "elitists," went, predictably, too far and ended up alienating anyone with a high school diploma.

Here's a little story I wonder if Mr. Cilizza will run. I kinda doubt it...

"The plot just keep getting thicker and thicker for former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, the Republican nominee for Governor of New Jersey this year, and his bad driving record: In 2002, the Star-Ledger reports, Christie hit a motorcyclist while driving his car the wrong way on a one-way street -- but was not ticketed.

"This was an unfortunate accident and just like a lot of us, Chris knows he can always be a better driver," campaign spokeswoman Maria Comella told the paper.

Elizabeth Police Director James Cosgrove confirmed to the paper that Christie did identify himself as the U.S. Attorney. The Star-Ledger asked whether Christie's position factored into the officer's decision to not ticket him: "I don't think I want to make that kind of deduction, but I think the facts speak for themselves."

Posted by: drindl | September 4, 2009 10:08 AM
______________
No chance. He just recently ran a "Corzine's in trouble" ad, er, article. Kinda Drudge-lite sounding. In the end, it is possible Deeds, Corzine, and Specter/Sestak will be just fine. And if it doesn't go well for them, it will not be a referendum on BHO, yet another false narrative pushed in this space and by the GOP.

Massachusetts Rep. Stephen Lynch, a Democrat, obtained the necessary paperwork Friday to run for the Senate seat long held by the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, according the Massachusetts Secretary of State's office.

Lynch's move comes a day after Democrat Martha Coakley, the state's attorney general, officially kicked off her campaign for the seat. A primary election has been set for December 8 while the general election will be held on January 19.

Lynch, whose district includes Boston's southern suburbs, has served in Congress since 2001. Before that he spent close to a decade in the Massachusetts House and Senate.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is adding his voice to the growing conservative chorus criticizing President Obama's scheduled address to public school children next week.

Pawlenty, who since announcing he was not seeking a third term as governor earlier this summer has stepped up his criticism of the president, said Friday the classroom is no place to show a video address from Obama.

"At a minimum it's disruptive, number two, it's uninvited and number three, if people would like to hear his message they can, on a voluntary basis, go to YouTube or some other source and get it. I don't think he needs to force it upon the nation's school children," he told reporters at the Minnesota State fair.

"From a Nexis search a few moments ago: Total words about the Van Jones controversy in the New York Times: 0. Total words about the Van Jones controversy in the Washington Post: 0. Total words about the Van Jones controversy on NBC Nightly News: 0. Total words about the Van Jones controversy on ABC World News: 0. Total words about the Van Jones controversy on CBS Evening News: 0."

Proof that there's a conspiracy -- that there's no news of a nonexistent controversy. Don your tinfoil beanies wingers, and spin those propellers!

Funny how the people who run the most sophisticated communication operation in the history of the presidency keep concluding that their difficulties stem from their inability to get their message out and never from what their message actually is.

Obama's address next week will be his third prime-time appeal in three months and the fifth in his 7-month-old presidency. The networks are chagrined about this, not least because the ratings half-life of these events is severe. (Fox's broadcast network beat out the other networks by running "So You Think You Can Dance" instead of his last prime-time press conference.) More relevant, they haven't done Obama much good.

Regardless, after a speech in which the president states the value of education and exhorts the students to try harder in school, the contents of those letters would more likely include: "I will do my homework on time" than "I will canvas for my democratic congressman."

That was changed from the original writing letters as to "what they can do to help the President" precisely because of this furor. Unfortunately, that retraction (right before the long holiday weekend) leaves the original lesson plans as what will probably be used on Tuesday, along with the White House "generously" releasing the speech on a NATIONAL HOLIDAY just in case parents want to read it in between the beach and picnic. LOL!!!

What's unbelievable is White House deputy policy director Heather Higginbottom saying: "I think it's really unfortunate that politics has been brought into this". LOL!!! In the SAME EXACT interview with The Associated Press, she admits the original lesson plan "was inartfully worded". Now (assuming that any teachers will even use it) the revision states: "write letters to themselves about how they can achieve their short-term and long-term education goals." Yeah, right, we are the ones who brought politics into the Dept. of Education!

· Write letters to themselves about how they can achieve their short-term and long-term education goals. Teachers would collect and redistribute these letters at an appropriate later date to enable students to monitor their progress.

I suppose it might "help Obama politically" if students do better in school. Any implication that the teachers are suggesting a political letter-writing campaign is disengenuous, at best.

From a Nexis search a few moments ago: Total words about the Van Jones controversy in the New York Times: 0. Total words about the Van Jones controversy in the Washington Post: 0. Total words about the Van Jones controversy on NBC Nightly News: 0. Total words about the Van Jones controversy on ABC World News: 0. Total words about the Van Jones controversy on CBS Evening News: 0.

You can't say that the system is totally broken and in need of radical reconstruction, but nothing will change for you; that Medicare is bankrupting the country, but $500 billion in cuts will have no effect on care; that you will expand coverage while reducing deficits -- and not inspire incredulity and mistrust. When ordinary citizens understand they are being played for fools, they bristle.

Oh, the Teacher's Union. Might as well be a bought and paid-for arm of the DNC (Democratic National Convention ; )

If you read the lesson plans, then you know that they include writing letters as to "what they can do to help" Obama politically. You already admitted the potential for abuse here. I just trying to explain it for the Lurkers.

I never said that Obama's speech was "mandated" (my HYPOTHETICAL was that Bush's speech was, in order to highlight the potential for abuse), and the National Endowment for the Arts is indeed an independent FEDERAL agency. Next canard?

BB: Perhaps now someone on the right will admit that it is a perfectly fine thing to encourage our youth to stay in school, perhaps quite in keeping with "Leave No Child Behind." That an invitation is not a mandate. Even that the NEA is not a branch of government.

It goes to show the level of hysteria right now. Obama is going to give an anodyne speech about staying in school, working hard, contributing to the community yada yada yada. The right is making it sound like Goebbels is coming out to address Amerika's youth.

drindl: As I noted yesterday, it is up to these school districts to decide whether to accept the Dept of Education's invitation.

I think it is just as bad to be offended at their "refusal" as it is to call the invitation a "mandate." (Hint: you "decline" invitations.)

Yes, of course some school districts might have aired the president's message if no one had commented. But that's all part of self-determination in this country. Are you suggesting it should have been mandatory?

And don't you think interested teenagers are going to find it online, perhaps more interested because it is "forbidden?" Great way to foster political activism in the new voters of 2012, if you ask me.

The TEXT of pResident Obama's address is allegedly about learning, staying in school and taking personal responsibility. The SUB-text however, including the recommended course outline, aimed at students is explictly "what they can do to help" Obama politically. My hypothetical, below, addresses the potential for abuse:

"At 12:00 p.m., Eastern Time (ET), October 2, 2002, President George W. Bush will deliver a national address to the students of America. (Please note that this is a change from the originally scheduled time)

During this special address, the President will speak directly to the nation’s children and youth about the threat Saddam Hussein poses to each of them even as they sleep in their beds at night. The President will challenge students to urge their parents contact Congress and pass H.J. Res. 114, the authorization for the President to use the Armed Forces of the United States "as he determines to be necessary and appropriate" in order to "defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq; and enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions regarding Iraq."

If you want your child to opt out, we will take their names down and send them to another room where they will be laughed at and subjected to stealth directed energy weapons for the duration of the message."

mike, i appreciate your comments. but i am afraid that those who want to terrify the public are winning the argument, through sheer volume. It's hard to speak rationally to people who are shrieking 'fire!' Look at all this hysteria over nothing. Look what you can do with propaganda. The rubes fall for it every time:

"President Obama wants to deliver a message to students next week emphasizing hard work, encouraging young people to do their best in school. The temper tantrum the right is throwing in response only helps reinforce how far gone 21st-century conservatives really are.

This is no small, isolated fit, thrown by random nutjobs. The New York Times, Washington Post,LA Times, AP, and others all ran stories this morning about the coordinated national effort to either keep children at home so they can't hear their president's pro-education message, or demanding that local schools block the message altogether.

A Republican state lawmaker in Oklahoma said, "As far as I am concerned, this is not civics education -- it gives the appearance of creating a cult of personality. This is something you'd expect to see in North Korea or in Saddam Hussein's Iraq." Fox News personalities have adopted the same line, calling a stay-in-school message from the president "cultist" and reminiscent of "North Korea and the former Soviet Union."

"Some parents are talking about keeping their kids from school on tuesday to avoid the president's remarks. The White House says it will release a copy of the text of the president's address on monday so parents and educators can see that the message is entirely about learning, staying in school and taking personal responsibility.

In the Douglas County School District in central Colorado, the phones have been ringing off the hook with with upset parents.

"We've probably had about 40 to 50 calls today and probably about 10 or 12 emails today from parents," said Susan Meek of the Douglas County school system.

Some school districts in Texas, Illinois, Virginia, Wisconsin, Missouri and Minnesota are even refusing to show the president's address.

Florida GOP chairman Jim Greer, who this week called President Obama’s planned speech to school children an attempt to “indoctrinate America’s children to his socialist agenda,” told ABC News' Steve Portnoy that he’s pleased with the change in the Department of Education document.

Greer said "this administration has been very aggressive and very vocal of their vision of what America should look like in the future and that is not my and my wife’s vision of what America should look like.."
He said "this White House has been very diabolical in creating outlets to communicate with young people."

TO: Interested Parties
FROM: Joel Benenson
RE: Public Opinion and the State of Health Insurance Reform
DATE: September 3, 2009

•By large margins, the American people support major reforms to the health care system.

--82% of Americans say that the U.S. health care system needs either fundamental changes (55%) or needs "to be rebuilt" (27%). (CBS, Aug. 31)

•A substantial majority of Americans believe that the problems in the country's health care system will eventually affect most Americans if they are not addressed.

--65% of Americans believe that the health care system's problems will eventually affect most Americans, while only 31% believe most Americans will continue to get good health care. (CNN, Aug. 31)

•The desire for change is driven, more than anything else, by a desire to see a crackdown on the worst practices of insurance companies:

--An overwhelming 92% say it is important to them personally that reform protects consumers in the health insurance market by requiring insurance companies to continue coverage at reasonable rates when they become ill. (Kaiser, Aug. 11)

--Two thirds (66%) say this is very important to them. (Kaiser, Aug. 11)

•There is little doubt that the moderate numbers of support for the President's health insurance reform plan are based in large part on a lack of awareness of the details of the plan.

--Only 31% say they "understand the health care reforms under consideration in Congress, while 67% say they find them confusing. (CBS, Aug. 31)

--Indeed, even Republican pollster Public Opinion Strategies found that 37% have no opinion yet on the President's plan, while 25% support and 37% oppose. (POS, August 13)

•When voters learn about the composition of the plan, support grows considerably.

--For instance, an NBC poll found that initially, only 36% said that the President's health care plan is "a good idea" while 42% say it is a bad idea. (NBC, Aug. 17).

--However, 53% said they favored the plan after hearing a short description of it that included:

* Requirements on insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing conditions;

* Requiring all but the smallest employers to provide health coverage or pay a percentage of their payroll to help fund coverage for the uninsured

* Tax credits to help families and individuals to help them afford coverage

• As we enter this final stage of the health insurance reform debate, there is a significant opportunity to clearly define health insurance reform, replacing Republican misrepresentations with facts.

--Voters still see a strong need for reform.

--Large majorities believe that health care will get worse for most Americans if the health care system's problems are not addressed.

--When they learn more about the specifics of reform, support grows considerably.

I do think its creepy. And I have been around long enough to know that the sentiment, if not those particular actions, have been going on for a long time.

I remember the backlash after Ruby Ridge and Waco. I was jury foreman a few years ago in a case involving a militia group in my state. These people exist in every state of the union, and allowing or forbidding them to "open carry" will not appreciably change the danger they pose to the public.

The real dangers are the things that kill or hurt the most people. You will do more good in this country by passing out hand sanitizer to school children than by boycotting Arizona.

Again, I'm not saying its the same on both sides. The right is far worse.

I've always liked the quote, I'm forgetting the author, who said something like, "if one man is trying to get you to think, and the other is trying to make you afraid, trust the one who's making you think." So, stick to that. Let's discuss the ideas and stop trying to silence the other side.

Here's a little story I wonder if Mr. Cilizza will run. I kinda doubt it...

"The plot just keep getting thicker and thicker for former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, the Republican nominee for Governor of New Jersey this year, and his bad driving record: In 2002, the Star-Ledger reports, Christie hit a motorcyclist while driving his car the wrong way on a one-way street -- but was not ticketed.

"This was an unfortunate accident and just like a lot of us, Chris knows he can always be a better driver," campaign spokeswoman Maria Comella told the paper.

Elizabeth Police Director James Cosgrove confirmed to the paper that Christie did identify himself as the U.S. Attorney. The Star-Ledger asked whether Christie's position factored into the officer's decision to not ticket him: "I don't think I want to make that kind of deduction, but I think the facts speak for themselves."

Look, a crazy guy whose 'pastor' the day before preached a 'sermon' about how he was praying for Obama to die, brings an assault weapon to a public rally? People carrying guns to a presidential venue and signs talking about how the tree of liberty must be watered with blood?

You don't think that's creepy? I'm not afraid of them -- I'm disgusted by them. I'm disgusted by the fact that the NRA has brainwashed a great deal of this country into thinking that this psychotic state is somehow normal.

People I know in other countries-- where this kind of lunacy just does not happen, are aghast. They can't beleive what's happening here, what this country is turning into.

Maybe you're young and think it's always been this way. Beleive me, it hasn't.

Claiming that a few people legally carrying guns (outside of the Secret Service's defined perimeter) is the scariest thing going on in this country? Suggesting that we boycott an entire state on the basis of it?

That's fear-mongering.

It is also playing right into their hands, since all they want is for us to fear them.

"The Los Angeles Times reported today that the California-based Consumer Watchdog has submitted a letter to Attorney General Jerry Brown calling for an investigation of insurance giants Wellpoint and United HealthCare (UHC). The complaint comes in response to the insurance companies’ practice of actively encouraging employees to engage in anti-health care reform political activity. According to Consumer Watchdog, “while coercive communications with employees may be legal, if abhorrent, in most states, California’s Labor Code appears to directly prohibit them.”

UHC was exposed last month for creating a call center that directed employees to anti-health reform protests. More recently, Wellpoint launched a “grassroots Web site” urging employees to “make [their] voice heard” by contacting Congress in opposition to health reform. It appears that these tactics may have been a violation of California law. According to the watchdog organization’s letter, UnitedHealthCare’s anti-reform hotline and Wellpoint’s astroturf lobbying website may violate California laws meant to prevent employers from influencing the political activity of its employees.

The accusations against UHC and Wellpoint comes on the heels of a string of ethically questionable moves by healthcare and energy giants to fight reform:

• AHIP, the multimillion dollar lobbying juggernaut for the health insurance industry, has mobilized 50,000 of its employees to lobby Congress against the public option.

• AHIP’s grassroots lobbying is managed by the corporate consulting firm
Democracy Data & Communications. The firm made its name working for organizations like Phillip Morris and Koch Industries, and is responsible for Wellpoint’s “grassroots” lobbying site linked in the Consumer Watchdog letter.

• Astroturf firm Bonner & Associates is being investigated by Congress for forging letters in opposition to the Waxman-Markey clean energy act.

If Calfornia’s Attorney General chooses to pursue an investigation of UHC and Wellpoint, it could open the floodgates to increased accountability of health care industry ethically questionable lobbying strategies."

Imagine the destruction going on in the world at the time he made that statement, and how the people of the United States responded to it.

Then think about our own petty squables and the fear-mongering going around on both sides. As if affordable health care was a Nazi menace, or promoting education was the same as invading another country.

They were the Greatest Generation. I'd be happy if I thought half of us had half their courage and conviction.

The mayor of Mt. Vernon, WA had the bright idea to give Glenn Beck the key to the city. Now thanks to People Power it appears he may be on the verge of taking it back. DailyKos reports on this and has contact information to get the mayor to correct his error.

If anyone is making a meal ticket out of anything, its Ms. Diva herself, Sarah Palin. She thirsts for attention, money, fame, and power and she'll do anything and use anyone to get it. The fact that we are even discussing her is proof that we are all willing pawns in her game.

The standard being applied to the Palins would apply to nearly every politician. Rather than a reflection on the politician, it's a reflection on the hypocrisy of the electorate. Like it or not, we judge the merits of a candidate on his or her family. Hardly her fault that her daughter decided to go out with Levi. It's his fault that he decided to make a meal ticket out of it.

According to Levi, they were practicing "safe sex". Just a reminder to all those kiddos out there, tain't no such thing. A good friend of mine has an oops baby (who is a beloved child, but definitely UNplanned).

On a decency note, I wish that said person would go away. He's now using a brush with fame as a meal ticket. The Palins have my sympathies.

'Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ), the man who recently "let it be known" that he'd step in should Gov. Corzine drop out of the New Jersey gubernatorial race, had his hands full at a town hall meeting in Red Bank last week.

More than 1,500 people showed up to talk health care, but things quickly turned ugly. Much like the unruly town hall meetings that have been going on across the country, the angry crowd held up bizarre and nonsensical posters of protest while hurling insults at Rep. Pallone, and each other.

A new low for these meetings may have been set when the crowd shouted down a wheelchair-bound woman with "two incurable auto-immune diseases" who had the gall to ask a question.

Health Care Reform Town Hall: no room for a centrist
by Brian Donohue/The Star-Ledger
Wednesday August 26, 2009, 5:19 PM

I never thought I'd see a crowd of people
heckle and boo a handicapped woman in a wheelchair. I never thought I'd be called a communist and a shill for big business - both in the same ten minutes.
But that was before the debate over federal health care reform came to my hometown, last night, at a town hall meeting on federal health care reform with Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th District).

I kind of wish it hadn't. There was no discussion, no one listened to anyone. Pallone could not open his mouth before being jeered and heckled. Opponents of the health care legislation sponsored by Pallone grew so rabid they at one point began booing people who were asking Pallone NOT to vote for the bill. When one opponent of the bill began her comments by quoting Margaret Mead, she was booed loudly. She was challenging Pallone and was clearly opposed to the bill. But I guess the crowd heard her mention Margaret Mead and assumed, if they were quoting an intellectual, it must be a liberal talking. So they bood her almost out of the room.

The "priceless" is somehow a 17 year-old gets pregnant with semi-live-in boyfriend. I certainly remember how it was when I was 16, 17. To be able to virtually move-in would have been the direction I would have gravitated towards whether I gave it a 2nd thought or not. I'm guessing if this happened to Obama he would be politically dead. Palin is celebrated. It is so priceless it is precious.

==

She managed to parlay irresponsible teen sex into just another anti-abortion scold.

Chased down with "the world needs more Trigs, not fewer."

I wonder how American women felt being told she wished more of the babies were born with t-23.

to her credit, there is really not much news in the Frontiersman. We call it the weekly copper shopper moose stopper, because other than the Trooper blotter (DWI's), warehouse food ads, and moose killed on the highway there is not much from the Frontier.

The "priceless" is somehow a 17 year-old gets pregnant with semi-live-in boyfriend. I certainly remember how it was when I was 16, 17. To be able to virtually move-in would have been the direction I would have gravitated towards whether I gave it a 2nd thought or not. I'm guessing if this happened to Obama he would be politically dead. Palin is celebrated. It is so priceless it is precious.

Yeah, that was the best part: she really doesn't read anything. Just as we suspected from Katie Couric's interview.

==

Based on how she talks my guess is that she's not really familiar with the written word at all.

BWJ, you were asked nice by DDAWD, now I'm asking nice too, please stop feeding our troll. He's singlehandedly ruining this place and there really won't be good discussions here until he gets frustrated enough with being ignored and leaves. For reasons probably having to do with hit counts ChrisC isn't going to get rid of him for us, even though everyone wants him gone. It's you alone keeping him here.

' The Palins slept apart (Todd "in the living room, on his little black recliner, with the TV going in the background -- usually with the news or an Ultimate Fighting Championship match on -- wearing clothes he wore that same day") and dropped the "d" word when fighting ("Todd would say, 'All right, do you want a divorce? Is that what you want? Let's do it! Sign the papers!' They'd either stop and be fine or Sarah would go to her room.
("That's just how it was with them.")
_______
Turns out the so-called "tabloid" reporting was dead-on as it was with Edwards.

What I am saying is, maybe, she don't mess with ANYONE prior to a wedding ceremony. You know, how people are supposed to flee from sexual immorality?

Another thing that doesn't sound right is Levi having to cook all the time. Didn't he say once before that Gov. Palin showed him how to fix a roast? Is he lying now, or was he lying then? You know, Levi, even if some of this junk is true, WHY do you want to hurt the mother and grandmother of your child. Sorry, son, it doesn't make you look very good.

P.S. note that I am not the one "pretend[ing]" that Obama is not the President of the United States, as libs did with calls of "Selected, not Elected" -- he either is (as a "natural born" citizen) or he is not -- all I am asking for is release of his LONG FORM birth certificate.

Posted by: JakeD | September 3, 2009 1:22 PM
________________
JD, I hear the Long Form Certificate is in a box marked "Snipes" in the alley behind the Apollo theatre in Harlem. They want you to come by and pick it up. They'll be waiting.

d, great info. It's funny. Levi's take on Phalin is the same as Charley (S@mbogate) James's'. They both describe the same mean spirited, bigoted, uninformed airhead. But the mainstream media continues its false depiction of her as a Klondike Mary Tyler Moore. Levi is Phalin's Achilles heel.

==

Oh to be a fly on the wall while she reads the article for the first time.

d, great info. It's funny. Levi's take on Phalin is the same as Charley (S@mbogate) James's'. They both describe the same mean spirited, bigoted, uninformed airhead. But the mainstream media continues its false depiction of her as a Klondike Mary Tyler Moore. Levi is Phalin's Achilles heel.

We should be like so many other countries where the delivery of primary care may not be a for-profit operation, by law. Explains at least in part why they get healthcare for so much less money than we do.

Even a Republican like Joe Scarborough can see how nuts the party is getting:

'On MSNBC’s Morning Joe today, host Joe Scarborough ripped into the hyperventilating conservatives. “Seriously, why don’t we want the president of the United States, any president of the United States, delivering the message to kids: work hard, stay in school, succeed,” said Scarborough, adding, “get your ratings if you want, you’re just screwing your political party.”

Last Monday, John Henke at TheNextRight, a right-of-center blog, called for a conservative boycott of the far-right website WorldNetDaily (WND). Henke referred to WND as “the pamphlet” of the birther movement, which he has referred to as “fringe idiocy.” Following his call for the boycott, Henke discovered that the RNC had rented access to the WND e-mail list. Henke then e-mailed the RNC and ask them to stop supporting the far-right website. The RNC Press Secretary responded to Henke’s e-mail by dodging the issue and refusing to distance itself from WND:

Henke e-mailed additional questions to the RNC but has yet to recieve a response. Reflecting on the Press Secretary’s comments, Henke writes, “In the 1960’s, Goldwater and a few Republicans had the integrity and guts to denounce the irresponsible fringe in the fevered swamps of the Right. Today, as far as I can tell, the Republican National Committee works with them.”

Reactionaries are not conservatives; that is why there is a different word. Unfortunately, some of the contributors here are not only still reacting badly to the abolition of slavery, they are still reacting childishly to American liberals defeating the British, throwing off the chains of monarchy, and inventing the United States.

' Sarah Palin urged the teenage couple to let Todd and her adopt the baby they were expecting; Johnston theorizes that this was because she didn't want people to know her daughter got pregnant. "She was nagging -- she wouldn't give up."

' The governor is not the outdoorswoman she seemed: "I've never seen her touch a fishing pole. She had a gun in her bedroom and one day she asked me to show her how to shoot it. I asked her what kind of gun it was, and she said she didn't know."

' But no bookworm either: "Once in a blue moon, I'd see her reading a book, and I've never even seen her read a newspaper in my life. The Frontiersman and the Anchorage Daily News were always there in the morning, but the only one who looked through them was Todd."

' The Palins slept apart (Todd "in the living room, on his little black recliner, with the TV going in the background -- usually with the news or an Ultimate Fighting Championship match on -- wearing clothes he wore that same day") and dropped the "d" word when fighting ("Todd would say, 'All right, do you want a divorce? Is that what you want? Let's do it! Sign the papers!' They'd either stop and be fine or Sarah would go to her room.
("That's just how it was with them.")

' Sarah Palin seemed to dote more on her new grandson, Tripp, than on her own infant, Trig. "Sarah has a weird sense of humor. ... Sarah would call Trig -- who was born with Down syndrome -- 'my little Down's baby.' ... and sometimes say, playing around, 'No, I don't want the retarded baby -- I want the other one,' and pick up Tripp. That was just her -- even her kids were used to it."

' The Palins' four older children did most of the cooking and cleaning. The governor "always wanted things and she wanted other people to get them for her. If she wanted a movie, Bristol and I would go to the video store; if she wanted food, we'd get her something to eat, like a Crunchwrap Supreme from Taco Bell."

' At the Republican convention, "The first thing Sarah said to me at the hotel was 'You gotta cut your hair.' ... And she got me to shave. There was even talk about me having to get a spray tan, but thank God I didn't." Johnston scored "two Burberry suits and one Armani suit, Prada shoes, and a cashmere sweater. ... I felt totally out of my world." After the campaign, "Sarah and the girls were [irked that] they had to give most of their clothes back, but I still saw some of it around the house after the campaign."

===================================

a few of the highlights... and hey, how about that gun under the bed in a box... ?

"Anyway I'm actually suprised that Curt Schilling talking about running for the seat hasn't been posted in the blog. It's an interesting take that this could be a no holds situation. Though he does have a snowball's chance of getting it since he would definately be a Republican and they trend more towards Democrats for everything but the Governorship in MA.

Posted by: mtcooley"

I do think he is the only shot the Republicans have at taking this seat. Not a good shot, but a shot. I really doubt it will happen, though. Schilling would have a better chance at the gov's seat.

"DDAWD: Honestly, I don't see it happening ever. He's not leaving and he's obviously not going to get banned regardless of the obvious things he says that are dangerous, inflammatory, and derrogatory."

Well, clearly he isn't going to be banned. But he will leave. He wants attention and will go somewhere else to get it. He's been baiting G+T with his last few posts telling G+T to ignore him. The baiting isn't working. He'll bait you by telling you he's never leaving. He tries to bait me by saying that he doesn't care about the attention, but wants to talk to the lurkers. I'm not that smart of a guy, but I can see what he's doing.

Obviously he won't go away soon since we always have someone who thinks he's being a hero to the world by calling him out. But if we stick to it, he'll leave. I promise you.

BTW: mikeinmidland, I realize that you are still feeling the lingering effects of Bush Derangement Syndrome, but he didn't invent the term "enemy combatant" so that he didn't have to treat a prisoner as a POW or a criminal. In the 1942 (over 50 years before Bush was "selected" as President) the Supreme Court of the United States used the term to distinguish between unlawful combatants and lawful combatants, see Ex Parte Quirin, 317 U.S. 1. Note everything bad in this world is GWB's fault ; )

Fine then. As long as you'll calm the heck down since you sound like you're just about ready to pop a vein.

Anyway I'm actually suprised that Curt Schilling talking about running for the seat hasn't been posted in the blog. It's an interesting take that this could be a no holds situation. Though he does have a snowball's chance of getting it since he would definately be a Republican and they trend more towards Democrats for everything but the Governorship in MA.

Don't worry. I'm not letting him get to me but I am obviously getting to him because I don't respond with grrrrr outrage. He's just going to act like a fool. I'm content to let him.

==

You don't get it.

You're not getting to him, the only way you will ever get to him is to ignore him. As long as he gets ANY responses, however vitriolic, he's happy and he stays, and he continues to fill the board with his swinishness.

You're NOT getting to him by poining out his lies, he's posting lies to get responses.

DDAWD: Honestly, I don't see it happening ever. He's not leaving and he's obviously not going to get banned regardless of the obvious things he says that are dangerous, inflammatory, and derrogatory. I'm more content to not care. Mostly because I'm not really as tightly wound up on American politics at the moment. Least not like I have been. They're still fascinating to watch however but I'm distancing myself from the emotion. I find that helps when dealing with annoying trolls like him.

Don't worry. I'm not letting him get to me but I am obviously getting to him because I don't respond with grrrrr outrage. He's just going to act like a fool. I'm content to let him.

I see myself at one of these political rallies, where they protesters are arranged across the street from each other.

The guys on the right side of the street scare me, so I edge toward the left. But the closer I get to the curb, the more I realize that most of the people on this side are just mad at the people on the other side. More interested in shouting them down than making a point.

It might as well be two giant TV screens on each side of the road, one tuned to Fox News, the other to MSNBC. Everyone talking, nobody listening. No one ever changes their mind based on the other's argument.

Every once in a while I can get in a reasonable discussion, with someone else standing in the middle of the road. But it's hard to hear with all the shouting on both sides. And I don't feel quite safe standing here--I think there might be a motorcade coming, or something....

Oh but you keep claiming to be a Registed Independent! Keep going please. Your stunning credibility is absolutely riveting! I'm sure you'd love to explain how you're both conservative and independent when in actuality they're different realms of the political spectrum. Truly a unique and special snowflake you are!

Most independents are not like you fyi. They are for smaller government but they tend to be more socially liberal. But I'm sure facts like that don't matter.

"Please. It's the internet. He's got an open audience unless they change the comment format or ban him. You should realize this. "

It's not about the audience, it's about the attention. He is perfectly aware that he is a racist and that he is a habitual liar. The rest of us are smart enough to figure it out.

All responding to him does is clutter the board. Please, please stop responding to him. Let him bait you about little games and posting to lurkers and how he will never leave. I promise you that if he doesn't get the attention he craves, he will leave. It will take some discipline, but I know you're up to it.

"Come on mtcooley nobody here wants to read his swinish idiocy, please don't encourage him or it'll take that much longer before he gives up and leaves"

Posted by: GoldAndTanzanite | September 3, 2009 3:57 PM

"How many months of birther trolls do you think it takes CC to figure out what's what?"

Posted by: GoldAndTanzanite | September 3, 2009 3:19 PM

"Yes it does, and yes it will. It won't be in one day, it will take weeks of discipline and all of we [SIC] regular posters holding the line.

Before he gives up he'll pull all the stops and tell really REALLY outrageous whoppers in hope that someone will step in with a contradiction. Attention is attention, and that's all he wants. Telling him he's an idiot is just as good as giving him praise.

I've been through this on other boards with other trolls, more indefatigable ones, though never with one as blatantly stupid as JakeD.

Just don't respond. Leave his offal on the floor untouched.

On the upside, his hysteria and desperation after a few days of no responses will be very rewarding."

Posted by: GoldAndTanzanite | September 3, 2009 2:18 PM

"Diverting discussion to draw attention to himself is the only reason JakeD posts here. Please don't encourage this by responding to him. The only way to deal with a troll whom moderators will not ban is to ignore him, however difficult that may be. Please join the rest of us in ignoring these deliberate and immature distractions otherwise every comment thread will be the JakeD me-me-me show."

Posted by: GoldAndTanzanite | September 3, 2009 1:57 PM

"[JakeD is someone]... who thinks the sneer-quote is the very height of naughtiness, even more eevil than staying up past his bedtime.

But hey, we don't talk about him so let's not."

Posted by: GoldAndTanzanite | September 2, 2009 2:46 PM

"You must be joking. Banned for racism? Pretty solid evidence in every thread that this is not so."

Posted by: GoldAndTanzanite | September 2, 2009 12:51 PM

"@bwj: the disease is incurable and fatal. Please do not engage the racist troll"

>>Come on mtcooley nobody here wants to read his swinish idiocy, please don't encourage him or it'll take that much longer before he gives up and leaves

Please. It's the internet. He's got an open audience unless they change the comment format or ban him. You should realize this.

It doesn't really matter who reads it as he keeps shooting himself in the foot trying to show how evil Obama is but mainataining he's not biased or partisan! It's like if he keeps repeating it that we'll ignore how he blatantly contridicts himself with his posts at every turn.

I see the potential for abuse in all sorts of government actions. Such as warrantless wiretapping, for instance. Or inventing the term "enemy combatant" so you don't have to treat a prisoner as a POW or a criminal, but however you like.

The great thing about this country is, when there is ACTUAL abuse of power, there are checks and balances such that it is possible (eventually) to correct that abuse.

I think we have enough to worry about with correcting recent abuses. We don't need to fret about potential ones. It takes more than one speech to indoctrinate kids into doing better in school. Unfortunately.

"This is the first time an American president has spoken directly to the nation’s school children ..."

Regardless of the politics, I would hope that SOME libs out there -- perhaps only the Lurkers -- can see the potentional for abuse with this. For the record, I do not think that my hypothetical address from a REPUBLICAN President on the eve of Iraq's invasion would be appropriate either.

Oh cute! He's trying to get attention through over the top trolling statements again.

Well unfortunately, Jake I'm sorry you can't compare two idiots in a fist fight to murder. I know it's hard for you to understand the difference but do try. Maybe you should go have a nap since the conversation is getting too difficult for you. You keep saying how old you are. Maybe this is just old age getting to you.

At 12:00 p.m., Eastern Time (ET), October 2, 2002, President George W. Bush will deliver a national address to the students of America. (Please note that this is a change from the originally scheduled time)

During this special address, the President will speak directly to the nation’s children and youth about the threat Saddam Hussein poses to each of them even as they sleep in their beds at night. The President will challenge students to urge their parents contact Congress and pass H.J. Res. 114, the authorization for the President to use the Armed Forces of the United States "as he determines to be necessary and appropriate" in order to "defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq; and enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions regarding Iraq."

If you want your child to opt out, we will take their names down and send them to another room where they will be laughed at and subjected to stealth directed energy weapons.

On Tuesday, September 8, 2009, which is Fairfax County Public School’s first day, President Obama plans to address the nation’s school children on the importance of education. For your information, we are including the announcement that we received from the superintendent’s office:

“President Obama announced that on September 8 – the first day of school for many children across America – he will deliver a national address directly to students on the importance of education. The President will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning. He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens. This is the first time an American president has spoken directly to the nation’s school children about persisting and succeeding in school. It will be broadcast live on the White House website www.whitehouse.gov at 1:00 p.m. eastern standard time.”

At Holmes Middle School, we do plan to show the video to all of our students, except those who opt out. Please send a note to your child’s grade level administrator if you do not want your child to listen to President Obama’s message along with the other students; we will find a place in the school for your child to go for the duration of the message.

Concur, drindl. Nothing he will say about education will be controversial. The "indoctrination" they are afraid of is simply seeing and hearing this man talk about a non-controversial subject in an intelligent and empathetic manner.

That's exactly what those parents don't want, mike. They have to demonize Obama so they can hate him. How can they hate him when the truth is he's a great guy? So they have to make up horrible stuff about him so they can justify their hatred and violence.

"The gentle folks over at The New Boston Tea Party say that by participating in health care negotiations, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) is committing an act of treason."

They are encouraging someone to shoot her. This is what scum looks like.

" Given the fact that Johnston is a 19-year-old high school dropout whose mother was arrested last year on six felony drug counts, it is conceivable that he is not the perfect arbiter of normal families. But even if he were an Eagle Scout with a scholarship to Harvard, can you imagine anything worse than discovering your daughter’s teenage ex-boyfriend has been given a national platform to discuss his impressions of her mom’s parenting skills?

It’s hard to totally resist an article that has sentences that start with: “In early August, before I went hunting and Sarah was picked, Bristol and I were at a tattoo parlor in Wasilla. ...” Or information like the fact that baby Tripp’s middle name is Easton in honor of “my favorite hockey-equipment company.”

But somehow I have a feeling that even the most ardent Palin-haters are not going to be able to work up much sympathy for Levi’s complaint that Sarah made him cut off his mullet before his appearance at the Republican convention. Or that when she moved to Juneau after being elected governor, she tried to take Bristol with her in order to break them up.

In fact, trying to separate her daughter from Johnston could be filed away in the rather slim folder titled “Sarah Palin’s Good Ideas."

No comment now? It's OK for Obamacare supporters to resort to violence even after you kept complaining and complaining about protesters showing up armed? Even I commented on Scott Roeder killing George Tiller.

RealTexan1 apparently doesn't understand the responsibilities of a US Senator. He also hasn't looked at any recent statistics, which show that "Taxachusetts" has a below-average tax burden, and pays far more federal taxes than it receives in federal money.

Wonder how CC will feel to come back and find his blog in the sewer. He wants substantive discussion and what he's got is mentally ill, unemployed trolls posting racist hatred and conspracy nonsense. If he's smart, he's flush it out.

""For the past few days, conservatives have been freaking out over President Obama’s upcoming speech to schoolchildren on the first day of school. Though Obama’s speech will be about “persisting and succeeding in school,” the right wing is claiming it is about “school indoctrination” just like “what Chairman Mao did.”

On Fox News this morning, NPR’s Juan Williams defended Obama’s effort as “innocuous,” saying that “on the face of it, it seems to be almost patriotic…you should hear the president speak about the value of education, staying in school, hard work.” But Family Research Council President Tony Perkins wasn’t convinced that the speech would be benign. To buttress his argument, Perkins asserted that “the president really hasn’t pushed any educational reform issues yet in his administration”:

"And I would appreciate the whole 'just ignore him thing' it doesn't work on bullies and it doesn't work on the internet. I'd be kind of good if other people realized ignoring them doesn't ever make anyone go away."

At 12:00 p.m., Eastern Time (ET), October 2, 2002, President George W. Bush will deliver a national address to the students of America. (Please note that this is a change from the originally scheduled time.) During this special address, the President will speak directly to the nation’s children and youth about the direct threat Saddam Hussein poses to each of them even as they sleep in their beds at night. The President will challenge students to urge their parents contact Congress and pass H.J. Res. 114, the authorization for the President to use the Armed Forces of the United States "as he determines to be necessary and appropriate" in order to "defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq; and enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions regarding Iraq."

"At 12:00 p.m., Eastern Time (ET), September 8, 2009, President Barack Obama will deliver a national address to the students of America. (Please note that this is a change from the originally scheduled time.) During this special address, the president will speak directly to the nation’s children and youth about persisting and succeeding in school. The president will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning.

==

Wow yeah that really sounds like a direct threat to democracy doesn't it.

And I would appreciate the whole 'just ignore him thing' it doesn't work on bullies and it doesn't work on the internet. I'd be kind of good if other people realized ignoring them doesn't ever make anyone go away.

==

Yes it does, and yes it will. It won't be in one day, it will take weeks of discipline and all of we regular posters holding the line.

Before he gives up he'll pull all the stops and tell really REALLY outrageous whoppers in hope that someone will step in with a contradiction. Attention is attention, and that's all he wants. Telling him he's an idiot is just as good as giving him praise.

I've been through this on other boards with other trolls, more indefatigable ones, though never with one as blatantly stupid as JakeD.

Just don't respond. Leave his offal on the floor untouched.

On the upside, his hysteria and desperation after a few days of no responses will be very rewarding.

Sure, mikeinmidland, and Sophie's Choice was simply one Nazi officer's "invite" and "encourage[ment]" too. We both know that the NEA is forcing this to be watched, on behalf of the White House, unlike ever before.

>>You are dead right, but you are mistaken in assuming this is unintentional.

Who said I don't know that? I'm calling him out on it. I'm not in the mood for his little games and I'm telling him so. He needs to get over himself and realize he adds nothing. His article was talking about a suggestion lesson plan for the people like me that got forced to watch speeches in school. Not that they have to. The decision is not being taken away from districts nor is it being forced. He's trying to twist a suggest they put out for all speeches by the way as a teaching tool for teachers to use or don't use. There is nothing manditory about it. The federal government is not pushing a thing but offering resources and teaching ideas like it does for other things like congressional bills, etc. He's picking it out because he doesn't like the administration while willfully ignoring the fact every administration since at least the 70's has pushed lesson plan 'ideas' to teachers from things like the environment to speeches. I'm not going to just sit here and let him try to pretend like I'm the one missing the point. He is. It's not the government mandating they watch it. People are upset with the lesson plan ideas. It has nothing to do with making children watch the speech, but that it might paint the president's cause sympathetically. Paint the majority in a good light?! Oh my how absolutely shocking that is. Never been done by another adminstration obviously it's just an evil democrat ploy.

And I would appreciate the whole 'just ignore him thing' it doesn't work on bullies and it doesn't work on the internet. I'd be kind of good if other people realized ignoring them doesn't ever make anyone go away.

"At 12:00 p.m., Eastern Time (ET), September 8, 2009, President Barack Obama will deliver a national address to the students of America. (Please note that this is a change from the originally scheduled time.) During this special address, the president will speak directly to the nation’s children and youth about persisting and succeeding in school. The president will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning.

The U.S. Department of Education invites students of all ages, teachers, and administrators to participate in this historic moment by watching the president deliver the address, which will be broadcast live on the White House Web site (http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/) and on C-SPAN at 12:00 p.m., ET. We also encourage educators to use this moment to help students get focused and inspired to begin the new academic year. The Department of Education offers educators a menu of classroom activities—created by its teachers-in-residence, the Teaching Ambassador Fellows—to help engage students in the address and stimulate classroom discussions about the importance of education."

No, DDAWD, I will not "go away" until the Good Lord calls me home. Your campaign to "ignore" me may have finally gained a convert in chrisfox8 -- although even he keeps talking about me -- but even if you can all successfully ignore me someday, my unchallenged posts will be here for all lurkers to see.

Obama can only give speeches. All talk and no action. Hawaii official claims he has an Obama birth certificate which is crazy as Mombasa. kenya has Obama's real birth certificate. Local Imam named Obama Hussein. Lynch in Southie is conservative so he may win as Mass allows all to vote in primaries so Rep can vote for Lynch for Senate.

HERE'S WHAT POTUS SHOULD ADDRESS: THE HORROR OF STEALTH 'DIRECTED ENERGY WEAPONS' BEING USED TO COMMIT CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY RIGHT HERE AT HOME.

Since you asked me, JakeD, I'll tell you that under normal circumstances, a presidential pep talk to students would be appropriate and in keeping with past presidential addresses directed at students.

But these are not normal times. POTUS already has asked and received a national platform in front of a joint session of Congress to pitch health care reform. This address, coming so close to the appearance before Congress, amounts to overexposure, what could be perceived by his critics as an unreasonable media grab.

THIS is what Obama should be addressing:

The Obama administration has approved and enabled the proliferation of silent, injury- and illness-inducing, emotion-altering microwave and laser directed energy weapons. As I have written, these weapons have been deployed in a covert ideological war against those flagged by bureaucratic autocrats as "dissidents" or trouble-makers or those slandered for reasons of hate and ideology as undesirables.

The mainstream media has failed to comprehend the significance of this transition from gunpowder, bulletins and munitions to stealth directed energy weapons. A silent purge is ongoing in America, and I fear that naive political and opinion leaders are in its cross-hairs.

That's what President Obama should be addressing at this moment, not schoolchildren.

My point is that NO President has ever mandated that before -- I am not the one who brought this topic up either in some misguided attempt to portray conservatives as "unhinged" -- regardless of the politics, I would hope that SOME libs out there can see the potentional for abuse with this.

Jake: Yes? I don't want anyone hurt. Why are you such an idiot you have to hound people with stupid questions that don't matter? It's annoying and counterproductive to discussion. Stop it.

==

Diverting discussion to draw attention to himself is the only reason JakeD posts here. Please don't encourage this by responding to him. The only way to deal with a troll whom moderators will not ban is to ignore him, however difficult that may be. Please join the rest of us in ignoring these deliberate and immature distractions otherwise every comment thread will be the JakeD me-me-me show. Thanks.

Actually my kids have been watching presidential speeches in the class room for sometime now (Bush and Obama). The younger kids usually do not (grades K,1,2,3).

I remember as a kid listening to them on the radio or listening to a tape recording and discussing it sometime later.

If the president needs kids to help him convince their parents to support health care then he is dead. Kids are so good at going home and convincing their parents to support complex social and economic ideas.....

"They", being your local school district, chose to make you watch it. I can see you don't want to be bothered with "stupid" questions or the distinction of the FEDERAL government, specifically the President of the United States, mandating that all schoolchildren watch it though. I will therefore stop asking you any further "stupid" questions.

Jake: Yes? I don't want anyone hurt. Why are you such an idiot you have to hound people with stupid questions that don't matter? It's annoying and counterproductive to discussion. Stop it.

And what do yo think they were doing to us? Teaching us about a historic moment when we should have been going over math homework? Kids if they want to know, have access to information outside of school. Anytime they're pushing political message on them they're trying to influence them. There's no hypothetical. It's already done! That's why I'm scoffing at your example. They did exactly that to me in a highly republican district leading up to the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. There was no point in making us watch it outside a Civics course where political current events were relevant. It was not relevant in my science classes.

From mark_in_austin's Wiki link (also in prior thread, so I'm glad I went back to take a look at that):

On July 28, 2009, Hawaii Health Director Dr. Chiyome Fukino issued a statement saying, "I ... have seen the original vital records maintained on file by the Hawaii State Department of Health verifying Barack Hussein Obama was born in Hawaii and is a natural-born American citizen".

So, why doesn't Obama request the release of said "original vital records"? The fact he won't doesn't bother ANY of you libs? Aren't you the same ones who demanded that Bush's TANG records be released, and that didn't even go to his Constitutional qualifications.

I have promised to not bring up the issue of where Obama was born ever again, if he simply releases his LONG FORM birth certificate -- what he has released ("Certification of Live Birth") could have been prepared from registration in Honolulu of his out-of-State birth -- that request is much more reasonable, I think at least, than Mother Sheehan camping out in front of Bush's house demanding a SECOND personal meeting.

The difference, of course, being the political whims of the school district as opposed to MY hypothetical where the President of the United States is mandating every child (not just those who already agree with him) to listen AND help him convince their parents.

>>What do you think "drindl" and "GoldAndTanzanite" would have said if What if GWB had mandated that every schoolchild, pre-K-12, had to listen to a speech he made right before invading Iraq?

Actually most school systems in my area did make us watch that and EVERY thing that went on national press release after 9/11 happened. I remember having complete lessons interrupted to watch Colin Powell deliver his speeches to the UN. It was a huge propaganda push. It stifled everyone's opinion because all you could do was agree or faced ridicule.

It is totally nothing that had not been done before. I recall them doing the same thing for a least a month everytime the President gave an address after the Oklahoma City Bombing and almost every press release for Columbine for like 4 days.

But not like they haven't forced students to sit there and eat information like that before. Glad to see you have no idea what has been going on in schools for the past 20 years. Just depends on who is in power and political whims of the school district.

P.S. note that I am not the one "pretend[ing]" that Obama is not the President of the United States, as libs did with calls of "Selected, not Elected" -- he either is (as a "natural born" citizen) or he is not -- all I am asking for is release of his LONG FORM birth certificate.

What do you think "drindl" and "GoldAndTanzanite" would have said if What if GWB had mandated that every schoolchild, pre-K-12, had to listen to a speech he made right before invading Iraq? You think they would have been just fine with instructions to "help me" convince your parents this is a just war?

This is insane. This is how crazy rightwingers in this country have become -- how totally unhinged. They don't want schoolchildren watching a Presidential speech. This makes me vomit. Of all the attempts to undermine Obama and pretend he is not the President of the United States, this is the most wretched and dishonest.

==

And they think this is a way back to power? By acting like four-year-olds?

There is an overwhelming case that the electronic media went out of their way to cover the noise and ignored the calmer (and from television's point of view "boring") encounters between elected representatives and their constituents.

==

What chance was there of hearing from the non-yelling participants? They were sitting in their chairs trying to take part in the discussion while the astroturds were chanting and yelling and drowning them out. It didn't take any media bias to overlook the civil participants any more than it takes bias for a microphone to pick up a foghorn while a frog is croaking nearby

Perhaps this will put the potential abuse in perspective. What if GWB had mandated that every schoolchild, K-12, had to listen to a speech he made right before invading Iraq? You would be just fine with GWN telling them to "help me" convince your parents this is a just war?

Public School INDOCTRINATION Urged to "Help Obama". Even "scrivener50" can see that's a problem. Back to the Ted Kennedy issue:

Now the big lies begin:

NEW YORK – Sen. Edward M. Kennedy wrote in a memoir being published this month that he made terrible decisions after the 1969 car crash that killed Mary Jo Kopechne, but said he was never romantically involved with her ...

This is insane. This is how crazy rightwingers in this country have become -- how totally unhinged. They don't want schoolchildren watching a Presidential speech. This makes me vomit. Of all the attempts to undermine Obama and pretend he is not the President of the United States, this is the most wretched and dishonest.

"President Obama's planned speech at an Arlington County high school next Tuesday, which the White House hopes will be watched live by students and teachers across the nation, is being criticized by some as an attempt to indoctrinate, rather than motivate, young people.

Officials at Wakefield High School say they are thrilled and proud to host the nation's parent-in-chief for an appearance that White House spokesman Tommy Vietor described as "entirely about encouraging kids to work hard and stay in school."

..After receiving inquiries, the Virginia Department of Education has issued guidelines that explain that individual teachers and principals will make the decisions about whether their students should watch the address."

I will couple that with a new program called the Obama youth. Saul says to get em while their young. If anyone thinks this is fishy, send me an email. I will have you promptly investigated by the IRA, I mean S. S.

"On Labor Day, tens of thousands of people will be gathering for the coal-powered “Friends of America Rally” in Holden, WV. The point of the gathering is to rail against the Waxman-Markey clean energy legislation. It will feature right-wing guests such as Sean Hannity and Ted Nugent (who once ranted about killing Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton), and is being pushed by mountaintop-removal mining company Massey Energy. Last week, Massey CEO Don Blankenship even recorded a video inviting people to attend the rally, saying they would learn about how “environmental extremists and corporate America are both trying to destroy your jobs.”

The sponsors for the rally are mostly regional oil, gas, and coal companies. However, the list also includes the Science and Public Policy Institute — a fringe climate-denial organization — and Verizon Wireless. CREDO Action recently launched a campaign calling on Verizon to drop its sponsorship. CREDO Political Director Becky Bond contacted Verizon’s Vice President of Corporate Communications Jim Gerace to inform him that that CREDO would be launching a campaign against Verizon. Gerace responded by disparaging Bond:

This is how our response is going over with the activists. Becky once lived in a tree for a while. At least now I know where the emails are coming from.

For the record, Bond never lived in a tree. Verizon’s vice president of federal government relations also sits on the board of the global-warming denier National Association of Manufacturers.

Blankenship recently gained attention because the Supreme Court rebuked him for buying West Virginia judges. He has called opponents of his coal “communists,” “atheists,” and “greeniacs” and labeled a cap and trade system a “Ponzi scheme.”

Mark: Joe Kennedy is a credible candidate. He's got more going for him than just his name; he was in Congress for 12 years and is a successful businessman. (Compare to Caroline Kennedy, who had few actual accomplishments on her own.) There are plenty of Senators who have been elected with less government or practical experience.

But that doesn't mean he deserves the nomination. Every Democrat in MA has waited years for a Senate seat to open up. It's not fair to give the seat to someone who's been out of government for 10 years just because he has the right name. Joe Kennedy could be elected, and he'd probably do a decent job. But he still shouldn't get the nomination.

He has said he doesn't want it, his oil company dealings make him pretty unelectable, and does he get along with anyone well enough to work in a body of leaders? We haven't seen it; he seems to work better on his own.

Health-care reform is said to be in trouble partly because of those raucous August town-hall meetings in which Democratic members of Congress were besieged by shouters opposed to change.

But what if our media-created impression of the meetings is wrong? What if the highly publicized screamers represented only a fraction of public opinion? What if most of the town halls were populated by citizens who respectfully but firmly expressed a mixture of support, concern and doubt?

There is an overwhelming case that the electronic media went out of their way to cover the noise and ignored the calmer (and from television's point of view "boring") encounters between elected representatives and their constituents.

It's also clear that the anger that got so much attention largely reflects a fringe right-wing view opposed to all sorts of government programs most Americans support. Much as the far left of the antiwar movement commanded wide coverage during the Vietnam years, so now are extremists on the right hogging the media stage -- with the media's complicity.

Replacing Stevens is all well and good (I'm sure he held on for dear life to see the end of the Bush terms) as Obama would get to replace the oldest member of the court with hopefully the youngest (and equally liberal) member.

But I want Scalia's seat. How sweet it would be for Obama to be able to replace him. Can he go another 7+ years and wait out Obama like Stevens waited out Bush? Time will tell.

That is interesting news about Justice Stevens. He's old (but I didn't realize he was 89 -- that's OLD to be in such a demanding position), and I think there are a couple more Justices who were just holding on until Bush was gone.

It's really amazing to read about Stevens and see how much he has grown and changed with the time. He also reminds you how much the GOP has changed in the last 40 years. The moderate vpice has been gutted from that party and those who remain (with Roberts and Alito as their stalwarts) look pinched, crabbed, left behind, unreasoning -- as if standing still was a virtue. It isn't.

Woah. Long night getting the place read. I hunted for a little info on birth certificates and evidently a fake had been mocked up. Unfortunately, Orly Taitz was stuck defending it. Kinda interesting discussion.

Yes of course. The Palin myth is sad not for the Palins, it is sad because people think she represents anything that is valuable.

Civilization exists and it is not all relative. History might be written by the victors. But civilization exists in a hierarchy, ranked against treatment of vulnerable creatures, human, animal and yes, plants, all creatures against which the powerful might commit, shall we say, violations.

We all have to eat, but we don't have to make a virtue of killing for fun.

One quick thought on Schilling: He did radio spots for Bush in 2004 about keeping the country safe. Those would come back to haunt him. He is a hero for helping the Sox win the WS, but I do not think that will be enough to get people to vote R for Senate.

There was an interesting interview last night on Maddow with Tom Ridge. What was interesting to me was Ridge's sincerity in his position that politics played no role in the decision making process leading up to the war in Iraq. As Maddow pointed out, he is one of the most respected voices on national security on the R side. But I think his position is at odds with the evidence and public perception. It was a civil disagreement and I think what the public actually thinks about the issue will have a lot to say about how 2010 and 2012 go. (I readily concede that the economy will play a greater role, but I think the interview and how it played out, especially the end, is worth seeing.)

Apologies if the interview was already mentioned. I did not read all 200+ posts.
Cheers,
TREP

I think, if you really hear what Levi is saying, you gotta lean into it a little, you will know Sarah Palin can no longer run for office as Sarah Palin. It was all a big mistake. She really is too average. Sad in the end.

==

After her "like a community organizer" line and her embrace of making animals extinct, I wouldn't shed a tear for that devil woman for any reason.

I think, if you really hear what Levi is saying, you gotta lean into it a little, you will know Sarah Palin can no longer run for office as Sarah Palin. It was all a big mistake. She really is too average. Sad in the end.

@G&T: during the macaca scandal, notlarrysabato.com used to collect this information on Allen (it may still be on their site) and then the MSM (especially the Post) would poach about 1% of it. The really "good" stuff the MSM left out. It was all pretty terrible.

you twerps are missing all the fun and games provided by the hockey player boyfriend of Sarah Palins daughter, Bristol. The one who accidently knocked up underage daughter while living in house. Great story about a gun still in its' box under her bed she wanted help with (did not know caliber or model or how to shoot said). Anyway... no moose-a-roni for dinner, but does like to send the kids out for Taco Bell. (which I happen to know is about a 1/2 mile from her house).

This is way, way beyond the number that left Imus and led to his ouster. It was previously reported Fox cannot rotate in any sponsors to fill the vacated ad slots so Fox is now is now trying to force sponsors--against their will--to have ads placed on Beck--something totally unprecedented in the industry.

==

Way to keep the faith with the people signing the checks.

That'll have advertisers withdrawing from the whole network, not just from the pudgester.

Good thing that calling someone a "racist" here doesn't mean anything -- you also continue to not be able to abide by the "FULL ignore" admonition -- perhaps DDAWD can help you with an eight-step program for that?

Posted by: JakeD | September 2, 2009 7:38 PM
______

What??? JD, I pasted in YOUR POST!!!!! You called yourself that. You aren't taking it back, are you. Acknowledgment is an important first step. Teamsarah.org awaits.

Good thing that calling someone a "racist" here doesn't mean anything -- you also continue to not be able to abide by the "FULL ignore" admonition -- perhaps DDAWD can help you with an eight-step program for that?

Daily Kos is reporting that the number of sponsors who have left Beck is now at ......57. 57!

This is way, way beyond the number that left Imus and led to his ouster. It was previously reported Fox cannot rotate in any sponsors to fill the vacated ad slots so Fox is now is now trying to force sponsors--against their will--to have ads placed on Beck--something totally unprecedented in the industry.

"Eleven new companies whose ads were recently seen during Beck’s program—Binder & Binder, Capital One, The Dannon Company, Discover, HSBC, ICAN Benefit Group Insurance, Infiniti, Jelmar (manufacturer of CLR All-Purpose Cleaner), Jordan McKenna Debt Counseling Network, Mercedes-Benz and Simplex Healthcare (creator of the Diabetes Care Club) —have pledged to ColorOfChange.org to take steps to ensure that their ads don’t run on Beck’s show. Fifty-seven companies have now committed not to support Beck’s show since ColorOfChange.org launched its campaign four weeks ago after the Fox News Channel host called President Obama a "racist" who "has a deep-seated hatred for white people" during an appearance on Fox & Friends."

Posted by: JakeD | September 1, 2009 11:39 PM
_______
I took it back because you negated your post admitting Panama Mac had a problem meeting the "native born" requirement with another post that said the opposite. Sorry.

BUT I do give you credit for admitting your, er, social problem, you know, the R word, when you said:

Mr. Macaca had been trailing Sen. Allen specifically for the purpose of videotaping. Allen knew exactly what the guy was doing and probably had someone in his campaign doing the same thing. He just was clueless that calling the staffer out like that would provoke such a backlash.

"Senate. Pres. Kitzhaber and Gov. Kitzhaber was not a party person, and sometimes in direct conflict with the party's state central committee. If you want a party-building Gov., he is probably not your guy."

If he wins his old job back, it will not be because he ever polished his political resume.

I have not studied it yet, but I'll bet George Wallace was no party hack either.

Jeez, Irish Central is creepy. I cannot imagine that any family in the 21st century actually thinks they "own" a Senate seat. I can only hope this article is gossip written in Kennedy-Fan drool. That or Irish Central have one excitable, weakest-link tpe Kennedy feeding them nonesense.

Mr. Macaca had been trailing Sen. Allen specifically for the purpose of videotaping. Allen knew exactly what the guy was doing and probably had someone in his campaign doing the same thing. He just was clueless that calling the staffer out like that would provoke such a backlash.

In addition to Curt Schilling, other GOP names include: Jeff Beatty, former Senate candidate and Cape Cod businessman; Scott P. Brown, State Senator; Andrew Card, former White House Chief of Staff;
Chris Egan, former U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Cooperation and Development; Kerry Healey, former Lieutenant Governor and 2006 gubernatorial nominee; David Sukoff, businessman; Michael Sullivan, former U.S. Attorney for Boston; and William Weld, former Governor.

G&T, regarding Allen's macaca remark, it was not "an unguarded offhand remark from a guy who knew better."

He was speaking to a bunch of rural whites, and pointing out a dark-skinned "librul" in the audience. He knew exactly what he was doing, it was completely intentional. He just didn't realize that Mr. Macaca had a video camera in his cell phone.

So, it's going to be an address to a joint session of Congress Sept. 9th in order to "re-set" the healthcare debate -- hopefully, al Qaeda doesn't try to mess that up -- if I were in Congress, I wouldn't stand for pResident Obama.

Bismarck, N.D. - Bobcat Co., which makes small loaders and light construction equipment, announced Wednesday its Bismarck plant will be closed permanently and the bulk of the 475 jobs shifted to its plant in Gwinner in southeastern North Dakota. He estimated only about 10 percent of the workers at the Bismarck plant would transfer to Gwinner.

My plan is working. Capitalism is in the throes of death. I wear my "F" in Economics as a badge of honor. you may not know about it because my entire past is top secret, that is, foreign eyes only.

I'm still very pleasantly surprised by how macaca completely sunk Allen three years ago.

==

Yeah that was especially sweeeeet seeing as Allen was the annointed GOP prince and headed for one of the top slots. And it was an unguarded offhand remark from a guy who knew better but just let it slip anyway because "racist Reaganite slimeball" is what he really is.

"Pretentions to moderation are going to be really hard to pull off with YouTube faithfully capturing every bit of red meat thrown to the racists base only weeks before.

Posted by: GoldAndTanzanite"

I'm still very pleasantly surprised by how macaca completely sunk Allen three years ago. Yeah, I'm happy that Webb won, but I was more happy by how toxic that kind of behavior has become. Even if McDonnell is just giving lip service to moderation, I'm happy that we live in an environment where that lip service is required. It's not that long ago where McDonnell's bigotry was acceptable and even desirable in someone with political aspirations.

Slightly more than one-third of Americans have a favorable opinion of the Democratic-led Congress, a new poll said Wednesday in a clear warning to the majority party.

The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press said the 37 percent expressing a positive opinion represents a decline of 13 points since April.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Glad to see it's not just me. all the Democrats seem to be unpopular. I inherited this remember.

you seem to have issues sister. I promised to eliminate those once elected. also the hate. Are you not one of mine?

but I am pleased that you attempt to shut down all debate with the one size fits all call of racism. As we know, we do not have to even talk to anyone ever even accused of racism. you must know by now that all the town hallers are racists. Ignore them.

"dawg -- I said the comment in question is racist, because the alleged 'speaker' in the troll's ranting is obama, and he is saying that he will make sure that taxes will only be paid by whites, not by 'brothers.'

Posted by: drindl"

Yeah, I suppose you can take "brothers" to mean blacks. I think that's kind of a stretch, though.

But as G+T said, if Chris C considered racism unacceptable on this board, we'd have seen some changes already. There's plenty more overt racism on here than that comment. (in fact, calling someone racist seems to have slightly higher ban rate than actually being racist!)

"RNC Chairman Michael Steele has strongly condemned Democrats who have criticized the town hall protests by opponents of health care reform. Last month, Steele said:

We are not inciting anyone to go out and destroy anything. We’re not organizing the town halls; their senators are. But instead of focusing on the fact that people are genuinely concerned about what is going on, this administration has the arrogance, the arrogance to look down at my mother, to look down at my co-worker.

Yesterday at Howard University, Steele encountered his own “genuinely concerned” citizen — 23-year-old college grad/activist Amanda Duzak. Duzak stood up and argued that “everyone in this country should have access to good health care” and cited the case of her own mother who died of cancer six months ago because she couldn’t afford her prescription chemotherapy medications. The audience applauded her.

Steele responded by chastising Duzak and accusing her of pulling antics to get on TV. “So people go out to town halls, they go to the community, and they’re like this. (SHAKES ARMS) It makes for great TV. You’ll probably make it tonight. Enjoy it.” The audience immediately went “Ohhh” and “Oooo.” Watch it

On the Huffington Post, Dave Zirin also notes that Steele’s “effort to connect with young black students got off to a rather cringe-worthy start when right before the billed ’student dialogue’ two dozen white members of area young Republicans arrived to sit in the reserved first two rows of the packed room.”

dawg -- I said the comment in question is racist, because the alleged 'speaker' in the troll's ranting is obama, and he is saying that he will make sure that taxes will only be paid by whites, not by 'brothers.'

Tone down the hard-edged stands on such issues as gay marriage and abortion to avoid alienating socially liberal young voters; And reach out to minorities, specifically to Hispanics, once immigration returns to the front burner.

==

Well this is the same GOP that thinks it can win nationally by appealing only to over-60 rural white racist males. They've turned into a suicide cult and "drinking the Kool-Aid" is barely metaphorical.

Pretentions to moderation are going to be really hard to pull off with YouTube faithfully capturing every bit of red meat thrown to the racists base only weeks before.

'The split between Republican ideologues and strategists has deep roots. Many GOP operatives, consultants, and tacticians believe the party will be relegated to enduring minority status unless elected officials aggressively tone down and reach out:

Tone down the hard-edged stands on such issues as gay marriage and abortion to avoid alienating socially liberal young voters; And reach out to minorities, specifically to Hispanics, once immigration returns to the front burner.

Party professionals, in stark contrast to movement conservatives, argue for the necessity of a version of immigration reform which makes possible -- at least for some -- a "path" to citizenship.

"How about we actually look at ourselves as an ordinary, non-political business, selling a commercial product?" asks Republican consultant Bill Greener, founder of Greener & Hook. Citing the strength of Democrats among growing minority groups -- and the continuing Republican dependence on white support when the share of the electorate that is white is declining -- Greener poses the question, "Who would ever start down a path that essentially said that we will be strong in all the declining markets while we let our only significant competition be strong among the emerging and growing markets?

Unless North Dakota suddenly gets 54 electoral votes, would someone please show me another way for Republicans to realistically conclude we can compete at the national level?"

There's some quite entertaining discussion going on about the faked Kenya birth certificate for you know here. I'm still waiting for the consular registration. Or some, any, reasonable explanation about how an infant was whisked through Immigration without a passport.

==

Why bother? The birther conspiracy crap has nothing to do with Obama's eligibility, it's just a proxy for the racism of people who can't handle having a black family at the pinnacle of American power. They're not logical, nor reasonable. We should ignore them.

As you know the stimulus package had to be passed in that one day period before I returned from yet another long weekend of golfing or the entire planet would spiral into ruin.

now that over 5% of it has been spent we can see that it was the exact right thing to do.

Never mind that the rest of the money need not be spent OR if you are prickly, that the rush was so that I could actually pass one of my programs without discussion. We all know how the discussion of my ideas ends up.

so do not analyze the situation to discover that the money was a waste or that the government is the only sector growing at the expense of all others, or that my policies lengthened the downturn, or that my promised max unemployment of 8% was a lie along the lines of WMD.

Press, keep writing stories about fashion, golf, and other subjects apropos to Democratic intellectual limits. We still have a lot of spending to do before they toss me out.

I now understand what LBJ must have felt like. I feel like I am channeling him.

There's some quite entertaining discussion going on about the faked Kenya birth certificate for you know here. I'm still waiting for the consular registration. Or some, any, reasonable explanation about how an infant was whisked through Immigration without a passport. Anyone? Buehler... Buehler...

Many of Regent (fka CBN) University's graduates have had success in public service, entertainment and the legal community. Alum in addition to Bob McDonnell include former Assistant U.S. Secretary of Labor Lisa Kruska and DEMOCRAT Louisiana State Senator Sharon Weston Broome. Did I mention that Sharon is a DEMOCRAT? Terrance Bridges, a dissertation away from earning a doctorate from the School of Education, was featured in The Star Press's Black History Month profile for his ministerial work with children and youth.

Notable alumni from the School of Communication & the Arts include the actor Tony Hale, best known as Buster Bluth on the TV show Arrested Development, 1999 Miss America Nicole Johnson and screenwriter Cheryl McKay who wrote the screenplay for "The Ultimate Gift". Author Charles Martin graduated from the school with a degree in journalism and communications. Jason Upton, a graduate of the School of Divinity, is a Contemporary Christian musician.

The Wall Street Journal reports today that the stimulus appears to be “helping the US climb out of the worst recession in decades.” Economists say that the stimulus funding is fueling growth well above where it would be without government action.

==

If even the WSJ is willing to concede that the stimulus is working it's going to be really hard to get anyone outside the terrorist GOP to argue that it was a bad idea.

All I can say is that there is no amount of thanks I can offer the press for never bothering to find any of my papers. Or discovering my GPA was below Bush. Or digging into my passport situation. Or the author of "my" book. and no way could I handle the frank discussion of my qualifications nor my associates.

WaPo, please continue to print the daily story on the findings of this VA repub. By avoiding any actual issues, we may be able to make up the polling deficit in time.

The Wall Street Journal reports today that the stimulus appears to be “helping the US climb out of the worst recession in decades.” Economists say that the stimulus funding is fueling growth well above where it would be without government action.

In “another piece of evidence that the economy was pulling out of recession,” the U.S. manufacturing sector grew in August after 18 months of severe struggles. President Obama called the numbers “a sign that we’re on the path to economic recovery.”

@DDAWD: agreed. McDonnell enjoyed success in the Republican party for espousing exactly those views, and working on many of them in the legislature. Now he has to back away from them to appear moderate. Conservatives will know he hasn't really changed, and will still vote for him. Unfortunately for McDonnell, moderates will also see he hasn't changed.

What is so damning about the thesis is, it's his own work (not a bill someone else drafted) and it is so comprehensive. Hard to shrug off one's thesis as if it were a stray thought.

==

Simply bizarre that a 34-year-old man could hold such views. They'd be pretty bizarre in a tenth-grader who was only stating them to shock people, to troll his classmates.

He's not just out of step with the times, he's out of step with the egalitarian basis of law. What a caveman.

I have decided to take bob Dole's advice and consider actually leading for once. Look for a really big speech next week. the most important one ever. I only hope I can intimidate the networks into running it. I dare not run against Glen Beck. but maybe I can beat Days of our lives.

I will speak for about two hours, say virtually nothing, then I will have 2-3 minutes to answer a pre-positioned question. god I hope the teleprompter batteries don't run out.

and whatever happens, avoid any fact checking of what I say. The last time I claimed that an operation cost $50K (really only 1200) to get the evil doctors in line, they held it against me. This stuff is way above my pay grade.

@DDAWD: agreed. McDonnell enjoyed success in the Republican party for espousing exactly those views, and working on many of them in the legislature. Now he has to back away from them to appear moderate. Conservatives will know he hasn't really changed, and will still vote for him. Unfortunately for McDonnell, moderates will also see he hasn't changed.

What is so damning about the thesis is, it's his own work (not a bill someone else drafted) and it is so comprehensive. Hard to shrug off one's thesis as if it were a stray thought.

McDonnell has not renounced those views. It is simply a fact that he was "college student at the time, albeit a little older college student, within an academic environment and completely not restrained by the real policy world." I was actually more liberal as a college student than I am today.

The extreme-right idea of "health care reform" appears to be social, and in many cases physical, genocide. Politicide.

Health care doesn't help untold thousands of unjustly targeted Americans being silently irradiated by microwave and laser directed energy weapons -- the weaponization of the electromagnetic spectrum, a silent "final solution" that may have the nation's political leadership in its ideological cross-hairs.

This technology is capable of altering moods, emotions, inducing fatigue, weakness, confusion, life-altering injury, disease and a slow-kill death. And key elements of the Obama administration, chief among them the defense/security/intel establishment, are proliferating these technologies by various modalities -- from hand-held weaponry to satellite and terrestrial cell tower based delivery systems.

By its naivete, its rubber-stamp approval of the deployment of these destructive technologies, the Obama administration is presiding over the destruction of democracy, the rule of law, and personal liberty.

Until the Obama administration realizes that a covert multi-agency coordinated action "program" is executing a high-tech "final solution" on unjustly targeted Americans -- right under POTUS' nose -- health care reform amounts to little more than a cruel false hope.

The bureaucratic saboteurs and Dr. Strangeloves must be moved from power, immediately, before this silent genocide claims more victims.

"drindl: Thanks for the excellent reference to Ruth Marcus's piece. The so-called "macaca thesis" is an excellent example of allowing an opponent to define himself."

I think the real point of the Marcus column isn't so much of an indictment of McDonnell.

"I am prepared to accept that McDonnell's views have evolved in the past 20 years. The shift in public attitudes toward gay rights has been remarkable; it is certainly possible that McDonnell's hostility toward homosexuality has moderated -- somewhat. "

The big point is that McDonnell is having to renounce views that are typically bread and butter Republican wedge issues. Anti-feminism? Anti-homosexuality? Anti-cohabitators? These aren't anachronisms from the 1950s. These are positions that I still hear today with some prominence. That McDonnell needs to distance himself from these views is a testament to how much Virginia has changed and how much the country has changed as a whole. Republican or not, an environment where this crap don't fly is a better environment.

West Wing officials tell POLITICO that, even though House leaders have said their members will demand the inclusion of a public insurance option, pResident Obama has no plans to insist on it himself.

On health care, Obama’s willingness to forgo the public option is sure to anger his party’s liberal base. But some administration officials welcome a showdown with liberal lawmakers if they argue they would rather have no health care law than an incremental one. The confrontation would allow Obama to show he is willing to stare down his own party to get things done.

“We have been saying all along that the most important part of this debate is not the public option, but rather ensuring choice and competition,” an aide said.

you are instructed to see racism in any discussion that openly defies my messianic views. since I am black, even disagreeing with me in any way must be racist. this avoids having to defend any of the ideas on any other grounds. Brilliant huh?

'As part of a fresh round of interviews designed to help save his job, South Carolina governor Mark Sanford suggested a higher power wants him to remain in office, and called his now legendary Appalachian Trail deception "a little white lie". And the embattled Palmetto State Romeo reiterated that he planned to complete his term, which runs through 2010, in order to advance conservative principles -- despite a meeting of GOP lawmakers over the weekend, at which not a single person expressed support for him.

"I feel absolutely committed to the cause, to what God wanted me to do with my life," Sanford told the Washington Times. "I have got this blessing of being engaged in a fight for liberty, which is constantly being threatened."

God wants him to continue to practice 'conservative principles' which involve adultery, lying and spending taxpayer money on private jets.

this kingofzouk [snobama] post is overtly racist. Chris Cilizza has indicated that people maybe be banned for such. Please 'report abuse' for this:

'A Westport lawmaker who voted to hike the state sales and alcohol taxes was spotted brazenly piling booze in his car - adorned with his State House license plate - in the parking lot of a tax-free New Hampshire liquor store, the Herald has learned. Michael J. Rodrigues’ blue Ford Crown Victoria, emblazoned with his “House 29” Massachusetts license plate, was parked outside a Granite State liquor store

don't worry my brothers. the tax laws are for THEM, not us. Just ask brother charley.

"Bob McDonnell, the Republican candidate for governor of Virginia, didn't really mean it when he equated homosexuality with drug abuse and pornography as evils that "the government must restrain, punish, and deter."

He didn't really mean it when he decried a Supreme Court ruling invalidating a ban on contraception for married couples because it promoted "a view of liberty based on radical individualism."

Or when he urged that "every level of government should statutorily and procedurally prefer married couples over cohabitators, homosexuals or fornicators," adding, "The cost of sin should fall on the sinner, not the taxpayer."

Or when he described "feminism" as one of the "real enemies of the traditional family" and criticized federal child-care programs because they "subsidize a dynamic new trend of working women and feminists that is ultimately detrimental to the family."

Or if he did mean it, he doesn't any longer. When he wrote his thesis on "The Republican Party's Vision for the Family," McDonnell, you see, was a "college student at the time, albeit a little older college student, within an academic environment and completely not restrained by the real policy world."

"The religious right is fomenting this kind of hatred in this country at our peril," Savage continued. "I really do think that the Michele Bachmanns of the world and the Glenn Becks of the world are actively and consciously, or subconsciously, trying to get - I'm just going to say it, trying to get the president killed. That's why they're setting this up as kill or be killed arguments. He's going to kill your grandma, pull the plug on grandma, death panels that little children have to go in front of."

I could not have said it better if I was drindl.

"This kind of rhetoric - this paranoid style on the religious right - from Birchers to birthers - doesn't usually end well," Savage said. "And, somebody's got to put the brakes on it and unfortunately for the Republican Party, there's no adults left in the room - only the Michele Bachmanns and the Glenn Becks and the Rush Limbaughs running the show."

Washington - Secretary of State Clinton ordered an investigation on Tuesday into the Animal House revels of private guards at the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan - including booze, hookers and other "deviant behavior."

these activities are reserved for Democrat lawmakers only. do as I say......

A Westport lawmaker who voted to hike the state sales and alcohol taxes was spotted brazenly piling booze in his car - adorned with his State House license plate - in the parking lot of a tax-free New Hampshire liquor store, the Herald has learned. Michael J. Rodrigues’ blue Ford Crown Victoria, emblazoned with his “House 29” Massachusetts license plate, was parked outside a Granite State liquor store

don't worry my brothers. the tax laws are for THEM, not us. Just ask brother charley.

broadwayjoe, don't make the mistake of thinking that the racist troll is posting sincere comments deriving logically from an intellectually honest position. It's just an innuendo generator. It posts all sorts of contradictory garbage, as necessary, and isn't even willing to defend most of it. It's pointless to engage it on the level of honest debate. You need never apologize to it.

"the most current example being Sen Specter, who's become a very reliable Dem vote since Sestak declared for the primary. "

At least Specter is actually being a reliable vote instead of just talking about it. I think the best example of lip service is Bush who campaigned as a moderate and centrist, but turned out to be one of the most extremist right wing presidents we've ever seen. Even more so than Reagan.

"McCain is also a "natural born Citizen" no doubt about that. Besides, you really think the Roberts Supreme Court is going to PUNISH John McCain for being born while his U.S. Navy ADMIRAL father and mother were sationed abroad?!"

Posted by: JakeD | February 10, 2008 6:42 PM "

This JD post actually NEGATES JD's other post since here he is insisting McCain was a "natural born citizen"--although of course he isn't. (Ironically this IS a valid legal dispute never decided by our courts that many lawyers believe Mac would lose if ever litigated.) So we have to retract the apology. Sorry, JD.

Tim Walker, a respected mainstream journalist from the Star-Tribune, summed it up well: "But the simple truth is that many birthers are simply racist. They keep pushing their fictions because they cannot accept the fact that there is a black family living in the White House."

One more point on the ideological shift topic: everybody does it, dems & repubs. We see it every time when a candidate has to fight a primary candidate from the extreme (left or right), then they have to move back to the middle for the general election. See Mitt Romney, for instance, who claimed that between his governorship and running for President he suddenly realized he'd been all wrong for all those years on social issues - and pandered to GOP primary voters. Same things happen with Dems, of course, the most current example being Sen Specter, who's become a very reliable Dem vote since Sestak declared for the primary.

"Come on bsimon do you really think that people change their actual views? Or just lie about them to get votes?"

If you've seen any of my posts about Pawlenty, you've seen that I subscribe more to the latter theory. I don't say 'lie' per se; but rather that he pays lip service to moderation, while governing very conservatively. He won statewide, twice, with this bait 'n switch routine, and has taken his show on the road.

So many sponsors have fled Beck that Fox is now refusing to honor sponsors' requests not to have their ads placed on Beck's show. This is totally unprecedented in the TV industry! Fox has run out of sponsors to rotate in to fill the ones who left so now they are simply forcing sponsors to appear on Beck. Remarkable. Don't let Howie Kurtz tell you water isn't wet. The boycott IS working...bigtime.
___________
From DailyKos:

"So, Binder and Binder has asked Fox to remove its ads from Glenn Beck; Fox has simply refused to honor that request.

This refusal is telling. Fox can no longer depend on a large stable of wealthy advertisers to fill in should a RoS advertiser ask to opt out of a specific program. Despite frequent calls of irrelevance by Fox and other media organizations, the movement against Glenn Beck is working. Fox has become defensive, struggling to retain even the small RoS advertisers left. It cannot sustain this steady loss of advertisers, especially if those advertiser start dropping Fox entirely (as Binder & Binder has threatened to do if Fox doesn't honor its requests).

The Post kinda blew up that strategy the other day. Turns out that Mac is to the right of Lynn Jenkins, if that is possible. If Deeds can't take this gift and run with it, he doesn't deserve the governorship.

==

Furiously backpedaling from his academic paper, which shows spiritual kinship with the Taliban.

Or was that one of the other Republicans? Sometimes it's so hard to tell them apart. And really, why even bother? These guys are as interchangeable as piston rods.

Umm, no. McDonnell is trying hard to sell himself as a centrist and hoping really hard that most folks leave it at that. The impression doesn't really bare close inspection, though.

Posted by: nodebris | September 1, 2009 7:09 PM
____________
The Post kinda blew up that strategy the other day. Turns out that Mac is to the right of Lynn Jenkins, if that is possible. If Deeds can't take this gift and run with it, he doesn't deserve the governorship.

Republicans are not the only ones to abuse taxpayer dollars -- it costs more than $2 BILLION per year to fly pResident Obama all over and run the White House -- a previous Democrat, Bill Clinton, actually lived in only government housing between 1978 and 2001!

Seriously, though, Piyush BOBBY Jindal was born to recent immigrants from Punjab, India and his ancestral family village of Khanpura, Malerkotla in 1971 -- his is the story of the American dream as beckoned by Lady Liberty herself -- he attended public school in Baton Rouge and worked his way up. After high school, Jindal attended Brown University, graduating with honors in biology and public policy. Although he had thought of a career in medicine or law, he went on to study at New College, Oxford, as a Rhodes Scholar and received an M.Litt. degree in political science from the University of Oxford in 1994 for a thesis on "A needs-based approach to health care". Later that year, he was reported to have been accepted at BOTH Harvard Medical School and Yale Law School, but returned to Oxford for a D.Phil. in Politics.

Again, Gov. Jindal is someone I could definitely vote for President regardless of his race (but what would I know, being the "racist swine" that I am?).

For the same reason that EPA administrator Anne Gorsuch ordered EPA chauffeurs to keep the engines running on their cars at all times.

Republicans feel entitled to snappy service at taxpayer expense.

"Fiscal conservatism" is just window-dressing for the rubes. Don't forget that these are the nincompoops who got us into a needless and expensive war and cut taxes on the wealthy instead of finding a way to pay for it.

I was rooting for more back and forth on whether the Crist / McDonnell / Christie races were indicative of moderation in the party.

==

I see some crazy-right candidates trying to sound like moderates but authentic moves toward the center? Nowhere in sight. That's going to call for new candidates altogether. As someone wisely posted a few weeks ago, the next GOP president is probably someone not even born yet.

4,525,036 of the "GOP base" already voted for Gov. Romney once last year -- not to mention all of those Massachusetts Democrats and Independents before that -- after our economy is driven into the ground, he's exactly who we will need.

CC did state this was on the Democratic side, though I suspect that choice is because he thinks the Republicans' chance is less than the proverbial spheroid of crystallized dihydrogen oxide in Dante's Inferno. Science and literature in a single sentence! The Blade is a Renaissance man.

Given that the first order of business of a Republican governor of Massachusetts appears to be to get the H E double toothsticks out of there, perhaps a direct jump to the Senate is worth considering.

Baker is behind Mihos in polls for the GOP gubernatorial nomination. They're both corporate types who do better in the executive branch, I think. In fact, that might explain the preference for GOP guvs in an otherwise blue state.

I'm sure someone will eventually run for the senate on the GOP side. Might be one of these.

Why not Joe Kennedy? Messy divorces and a controversial deal with the Venezuelan dictator are great credentials for a Democrat politician. It would be nice if whoever becomes senator that they are more than just rich, career politicians. A little real world experience in business (no lawyers, please) would be good. Perhaps Mitt Romney would make it. Wasn't he the governor of MA at one time? It is fun to muse about the successor to Ted, but in the end, it will be a big spending liberal.

I second Blarg's request for some info re: the other party. If they don't have a snowball's chance, report that.

As an aside to the sparring between the Blade and GaT, I'll note that some pretty hard-core conservatives play very well at coming across as moderate. Even Rep Bachmann knows how to tone down the rhetoric and sound reasonable - for instance on most of her interviews on MN public radio. Gov Pawlenty is another one - he's something of an Eddie Haskell who knows how to say the right things to the right audiences to disguise his true nature.

BB: This post is only about the Democrats, which is why no Republicans are mentioned.

The Boston Globe says not to expect much from the MA Republicans. Their best candidate is running for Governor, so that's where all of the money and effort will be concentrated. There aren't any other candidates with name recognition or experience.

Nothing in here is particularly new — Kennedy will help the cause, Dodd gets to carry the banner, Kennedy's work remains undone. But the straight-shooting Reid does have a gift for saying non-controversial things in the most controversial way possible.

I wonder if it's too much to hope for someone who ISN'T a slovenly, drunken, womanizing, pig who is prone to belligerence. While were compiling a wish list - maybe we can forgo killing someone while we're at it.

I wonder if it's too much to hope for someone who ISN'T a slovenly, drunken, womanizing, pig who is prone to belligerence. While were compiling a wish list - maybe we can forgo killing someone while we're at it.

As has been pointed out on other threads, just because a state occasionally will vote for a Republican governor, doesn't mean they want a Republican senator. Just as in Washington, a little veto power on the legislature can be a good thing.

The "career path" that goes from State Attorney General to US Senator is pretty simple. She has state-wide name recognition, has been elected to a state-wide post, and presumably has some accomplishments to run on. A "short special" as CC calls it (sounds like a coffee drink) is perfect for her as the US Reps (Joe excluded) don't have a state-wide following and would do better in a longer primary.

Charlie Crist appears ready to waltz to a senate seat in Florida. Both Toomey and McDonnell and tilting to the center. There's plenty of red meat for the base on the radio, more honey for the center on the trail. That much having been said, I haven't lived in Mass for almost 6 years, so don't know if the Republican farm team has someone ready for the bigs.

Lynn Jenkins, she of the great white hope, laughs at and mocks an unisured woman and her child:

"At a recent town hall meeting, a 27-year old uninsured waitress named Elizabeth Smith asked Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) why as a working mother she can’t “get an affordable option” for health care. According to the AP, Smith’s 2-1/2-year-old son “hasn’t been to a doctor in 21 months, except for emergency room visits for ear infections, because she can’t afford either insurance or a doctor’s visit.” When Smith asked her question, Jenkins criticized creating “a government-run program” and said that she advocated tax credits so people like Smith could “go be a grown-up and go buy the insurance“:

SMITH: I want an option that I can pay for. I work. I pay my bills. I’m not a burden on the state. I pay my taxes. So why can’t I get an affordable option. Why are you against that?

JENKINS: A government-run program (laugh) is going to subsidize not only yours (laugh) but everybody in this room."

Hmmm... I'm surprised about the lack of Republicans on the short list. The three governors previous to Patrick were all Republicans and the current governor is deeply unpopular. For those who think this unlikely, there are ample opportunities for a moderate conservative in this environment. Question is, can the Republicans unite behind one?

'Last week, Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.), who narrowly won a seat in upstate New York last year in a district that Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) narrowly carried over Barack Obama, asked for a moment of silence for the late senator. Some constituents shouted throughout the 10 seconds, as supporters of health care reform stayed mum.'

==

It'll be nice to leave this country for good, and live among people who're so polite that courtesy is woven into the very grammar of their language.

'Last week, Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.), who narrowly won a seat in upstate New York last year in a district that Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) narrowly carried over Barack Obama, asked for a moment of silence for the late senator. Some constituents shouted throughout the 10 seconds, as supporters of health care reform stayed mum.'

I only ask because the balance of power in the Senate is conditioned on us having at least 60 Senators to get our way. Because of my bipartisan efforts I campaigned on, I need a few more than filibuster proof numbers. you see as a loyal Democrat and committed to centrism and compromise, I need more than 60 to make sure I can break the fillibuster. ( and by compromise and bipartisan, I mean even Dems won't go along with my plans)

Of course if Harry would find a way to get the Repubs to go his way, we could actually pass some laws this year. He promised me once we got to 60 we would get things through his chamber faster than picking a dog breed or even a church.

I am beginning to see why Harry's polls are below 30. Like I should talk.

After a bit of research, I've decided that Capuano is my favorite. Lynch is too conservative for my taste; MA shouldn't have a senator who's pro-life and neutral on gay rights. I haven't been able to find much on Coakley's beliefs, because she has no voting record. I don't understand the career path that goes from Attorney General to Senator. And while I like Markey, he should stay where he is.

I look forward to the accompanying post about which Republicans are running. Step 1: Find out the names of some MA Republicans. Better start now; it could take a while.

I'd be happier if Joe Kennedy stayed out of it. The nomination deserves to go to an active Democratic politician, not an ex-Congressman with the right name. For the same reason, I'm glad Vicky isn't trying for the nomination.